


Strays Up for Adoption

by Izarakovic



Series: TWICE Omegaverse [3]
Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band), TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff and Smut, Futanari, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Verse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, SNSD members - Freeform, Seulrene, Side Story, Wonha, joyri - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:35:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25526044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izarakovic/pseuds/Izarakovic
Summary: Companion oneshots (and some multishots) of the main story: Strays
Relationships: Chou Tzuyu/Minatozaki Sana, Hirai Momo/Myoui Mina, Im Nayeon/Yoo Jeongyeon, Kim Dahyun/Son Chaeyoung, Park Jisoo | Jihyo/Son Seungwan | Wendy
Series: TWICE Omegaverse [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1252295
Comments: 6
Kudos: 136





	1. Meet The Chous

**Author's Note:**

> SaTzu oneshot set when they were in Taiwan <3  
> enjoy!

"Annyeonghaseyo Taiwaan!!"

Tzuyu plugs her earphone inside her ears with a blank face when Sana yells loudly beside her. She could feel people around them eyeing them, either interested or cringing, but she ignores them all as she takes the Iota's hand and pulls her along. Sana simply laughs at that then unlink their hands only to wrap her arms around Tzuyu's.

"So this is Taiwan?"

"Tainan."

"But it's still in Taiwaaan!!"

Sana giggles when Tzuyu casts a bored glance at her. She's elated to be able to step at Tzuyu's hometown, and she's determined that the latter's overall dull response won't kill her spirit. The Iota clings happily to her taller partner as they walk through the seas of people in the airport, Tzuyu so chivalrously dragging their suitcase in her other hand. They bring only one big suitcase due to the quite short duration of the visit (and it's not like they need a lot of clothes anyway).

"So where are we going first?" Sana asks energetically, though it's just a few minutes since they hailed a cab. She notices the cab driver eyes her through the rearview mirror, probably being interested with her scent, but does nothing as Sana is literally glued to Tzuyu's side.

Tzuyu blinks as she takes out her phone, scrolling a little before she answers. "Hotel."

"Oohhh... we're not going to stay the night at your parents' house?"

"No."

"Ah, okay okay!"

They reach their destination not much longer than fifteen minutes later, with Sana expressing her awe to each and every thing she sees all the way from the airport to the hotel. She lets Tzuyu to take care of their luggage as per the Gamma's request. Sana secretly swoons as she knows that Tzuyu does that purely from her heart and not just her trying to appear gentlemanly.

After they checked in to the receptionist, Tzuyu leads Sana to the elevator with one of her arms circling her waist. The shorter of the two giggles, leaning against Tzuyu when the Gamma's chest rumble softly voicing her dislike. She catches some other visitors who linger their gaze on the Iota and she feels the need to protect Sana. The scent of strawberry emitted by Sana is already dampened greatly by the huge amount of concealer she wore earlier, but even then, any Alpha in near vicinity would still turn their head when they smell the alluring scent.

"Aahh! Bed!" Sana flops down to the king-sized bed immediately after they entered the hotel bedroom. She watches as Tzuyu sets their luggage aside, her mild OCD kicking in and the Gamma patiently rearranges their cluttered clothes. Giggling, Sana wraps her arms around Tzuyu's waist, resting her face on her shoulder blades and inhales the faint rainy scent joyfully.

"So what are we going to do today, Tzu?" nuzzling further into Tzuyu, Sana asks softly as Tzuyu keeps on arranging their clothes. She hums when Tzuyu takes her time to answer, pressing a kiss on her nape through her cascading black hair and rubs her hands on the flat plane of Tzuyu's stomach. She grins when Tzuyu pauses with a shiver, happy that her idea of distraction had worked. "Come on, don't ignore me. What are we going to do today, Tzutzu?"

This gets Tzuyu to turn, abandoning her work to look straight at Sana. Her empty gaze clashes with Sana's wishful one before she leans down to nuzzle Sana's neck. "Rest."

Sana nods. "Ah, okay. So we rest. But what would we have for dinner? Surely we'll have to get out?"

"Yes," Tzuyu looks up with a new twinkle in her eyes. "I know a good place near here. The food there is delicious."

"Ooh, I can't wait," Sana giggles and once again wraps her arms around Tzuyu, pulling her to fall back to the bed. Tzuyu wiggles a bit to search for a comfortable position as Sana strokes her hair. "So tonight we're going to the place you like?"

"Yes."

"That's great! How about tomorrow? So breakfast will be at the hotel, right? How about lunch? Dinner?"

"Don't worry," Tzuyu closes her eyes, feeling content. It's already in her conscience to immediately cuddle once Sana holds her like this. She huffs when Sana giggles, making her headrest on Sana's chest vibrate. "We'll have lunch with my family."

Sana hums again. "Family as in your parents?"

"Yes. And my brother."

"I see," Sana nods. She closes her eyes when the fatigue of the trip catches up to her. But Tzuyu's additional weight is making breathing harder for her so she pushes the Gamma up, giggling when Tzuyu stares at her; mildly disappointed. "I'm gonna take a bath, you want to join?"

Tzuyu tilts her head, not quite catching her drift. "There's only one shower."

"Yeah, I know. But I suppose we can do some more... things than only showering," sending a flirtatious wiggle of her eyebrows to Tzuyu, Sana waits as the tall Taiwanese tries to digest her words. But even when Tzuyu shakes her head, still clueless, Sana simply smiles and leans in to place a brief kiss on Tzuyu's lips.

Tzuyu is still staring at Sana when she happily leaps down from the bed, snatching her towel and bathing utilities before she disappears into the bathroom. Being left behind, Tzuyu takes her time to rethink Sana's words and blinks when she realizes something.

"Oh. Okay. Still no."

.

.

.

Making Tzuyu love her is already a hard work for Sana. She knows that she's going there, slowly yet steadily, but sometimes she thinks that Tzuyu secretly despises her and wishes for her doom.

Today is a prime example of that.

So in Tzuyu's defense, she had asked Sana to bring her favorite dress to Taiwan. She even helped Sana in putting on light makeup and do her hair, patiently listening to the Iota fussing about whether she'll look pretty and presentable enough in front of the Gamma's family. Tzuyu gives Sana some small compliments and suggestions whenever the Iota asks her to.

Tzuyu looks like a Goddess already, so Sana is sure that her family would look as beautiful as her. She's a bit nervous if she'll look underwhelming with her white short-sleeved dress and golden necklace. The Gamma simply ignores Sana's complaints and tells her that her family is not as pretty as Sana's head makes them be.

It was a trap.

"So, you're Minatozaki Sana? Nice to meet you!"

"N-nice to meet you, too, miss..." Sana nods and smiles stiffly at the ethereal woman sitting on the car seat in front of her. Chou Victoria, Tzuyu's Omega sister-in-law, as in her brother's wife and this woman's visual alone almost blinds Sana. The fact that this woman is a legit model doesn't really help the Iota's self-esteem.

"Zuyi told us a lot about you," the man on the driver seat says after her wife, laughing a bit, surprising Sana who is as stiff as a statue.

He is Chou Zhoumi, Tzuyu's one and only older brother who is a regular Alpha. This man is the very definition of handsome Sana wonders how the heck does this family won all those genes lottery. The older Chou sibling had been so kindly fetched them from the hotel along with his little family.

Sana thought she would have been able to prepare her mental to face Tzuyu's family along the journey to their promised lunch spot, but Zhoumi's unannounced appearance in the hotel lobby had destroyed her entire planning.

As if noticing her nervousness, Zhoumi smiles at her through the rearview mirror, laughing again when the Iota grins awkwardly at him.

"Aw, come on, please relax," Zhoumi says as he smoothly rounds a corner. "We don't bite. And our parents love you already because all Zuyi tell us whenever she's home is literally you."

"O-oh, really?"

Zhoumi nods, giving Sana another smile when he sees the Iota blushing. "Yeah. Zuyi always tell us about her beautiful Iota friend. You know she even sent pictures of you! She's really fond of you, Sana."

Sana faintly hears Zhoumi chuckling when her face turns five shades redder. She casts a glance to Tzuyu then, who sits calmly beside her with a young little Alpha on her lap. Her heart soars when she thinks about what Zhoumi said. Tzuyu could be really adorable at times. She might be emotionless most of the time, but Sana knows that Tzuyu regards her as someone somewhat important in her life if she goes as far as gushing about her to her family.

Sana just hopes Tzuyu didn't send her nudes to her parents.

"Auntie Cana!"

The Iota stops her train of thought when a tiny voice calls her. She blinks, finding the little boy in Tzuyu's hold staring at her in awe. The 2-year-old boy is Zhoumi and Victoria's pup, named Henry, a young Alpha with his plump, fluffy cheeks he effortlessly melts Sana's heart with his cuteness. Henry smiles widely at her when she notices his call and waves his hand.

"Auntie Cana!" Henry calls again with his hand waving energetically, prompting Tzuyu to let go of him to allow the pup to crawl towards Sana.

Sana almost laughs when she catches Tzuyu's mild disappointment. The Gamma seems like she really loves the pup so Sana understands if Tzuyu is disappointed that Henry is more interested at her than at Tzuyu. Shaking her head, Sana picks Henry up, who laughs and immediately nuzzles to her embrace.

"You're so pwetty!" the boy says and smiles wider when Sana giggles.

"You're so handsome, too, Henry," Sana pats the pup's cheek softly. Henry claps happily at that and Sana can't help but hug the little pup tightly. "Aaaahhh you're so cute! Do you want to come with auntie to Korea? We can play a lot of things there!"

"Koyea!" Henry repeats Sana's word, tilting her head when the Iota squeals.

A chuckle could be heard from the front seats, prompting Sana to look up from the adorable creature hugging her. Zhoumi is laughing fondly while Victoria peeks from her seat to see her son being cradled by the younger female. The Omega reaches out her hand to caress her son's head, smiling when Henry notices the additional attention and wave at his mother.

"Henry seems to like you already," Victoria teases. Her eyes twinkle in delight when Henry paws Sana's dress collar and starts pulling the fabric playfully.

"I like him, too," Sana giggles, earning herself a small laugh from Victoria. She then blows a kiss on Henry's forehead when the boy fiddles with the bow on her neck. "He's so adorable."

Zhoumi chuckles again before he says, "Someone seems a bit jealous, though."

At first, Sana doesn't understand, but a glance to the sour-looking Gamma beside her is enough to make her laugh. Tzuyu blinks when she realizes that she's being watched and raises an eyebrow in confusion when Sana shakes her head. Rolling her eyes, Sana shifts closer to Tzuyu and sets the tiny pup across both their laps.

"If you want to cuddle with him, just say it to me, okay?"

Tzuyu nods before she runs her hand on Henry's small back. The light in her eyes returns the moment Henry climbs up her lap. Henry then points outside the window, animatedly telling Tzuyu about the cloud and the sun with the Gamma listening to him intently.

"It's kinda rare for Henry to warm up that fast to people," Victoria suddenly says, averting Sana's attention from the pup who is busy narrating the sky to Tzuyu. The Omega sends Sana a warm smile as she turns the radio on. "I guess, we've shown him so much photos of you he doesn't even feel awkward anymore."

"I agree. Sana is basically family already," Zhoumi butts in with a small laugh. He doesn't notice that Sana looks down with a blush, pressing herself closer to Tzuyu who instinctively loops her arm around the Iota's waist.

The journey thus continues with Henry's light voice filling the car. Victoria would chime in at times, responding to her son as she knows that Tzuyu would likely be just observing in silence, while Zhoumi just keeps on smiling listening to them conversing. Henry ends up clinging completely to Sana halfway to their destination as he says that, "Auntie Cana is softer."

Sana is sure that Henry means that her hug is more comfortable.

Still doesn't make Tzuyu less salty than before.

About thirty minutes later, Zhoumi drives his car into the yard of a modest house. He parked the car before pulling out his phone, smiling as he types a message. The man then turns to the four passengers inside his car. "Mom and Dad are waiting already. Let's go."

Victoria takes Henry from Sana's arms the moment they step down from the car. The little pup wails a bit because he had been separated from his new favorite aunt. It only lasts for a while, though, because he immediately latches to his mother once Victoria lets out her lavender fragrance.

The scent reminds Sana of Mina's loud Omega friend from before, though Victoria's is noticeably more calming and mature due to her status as a mother. Sana feels her chest warms up seeing Victoria cradling her son with Henry babbling lovingly at his mother. It makes her feel things; like wanting to have a pup on her own, in example.

Sana jolts a bit when she feels a hand catching hers. She looks up, blushing when she realizes that Tzuyu had gripped her hand as the Gamma leads her to her house. Tzuyu wastes no time to let Sana enjoy the interior of the modern yet comfortable house, instead pulling her straight to the backyard where her parents are waiting.

But Tzuyu stops right before the back door, turning to Sana which makes the latter blinks in befuddlement.

Tzuyu tilts her head, questioning. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?"

Sana squints her eyes when Tzuyu's question makes her even more confused. The Gamma nods when Sana looks at her with a skeptical haze.

"Mom and Dad are nice."

It takes a few moments for Sana to fully comprehend Tzuyu's abstract speech. She giggles softly then, pulling her hand away from Tzuyu's hold to cup the Gamma's face and cradles her. Thinking that Zhoumi and his family are nowhere near, Sana leans up to place a kiss on Tzuyu's lips; a kiss that deepens a bit when Tzuyu automatically nips her lower lip.

"It's okay, Tzu. I'm fine. Just a bit nervous, I think," Sana says after they part. She pats Tzuyu's cheeks a few times when the Gamma doesn't seem to believe her immediately. "I believe your parents are nice. Your brother and sister-in-law are so nice, too. Don't worry about me."

Tzuyu stares at her still, trying to see any lies behind her eyes, and finally relents when Sana pecks her lips again. The Gamma takes Sana's hand in her own again and opens the back door.

"Ooh, there you are! Hello!"

Sitting around the round table on one corner of the wide backyard is a middle-aged couple. Zhoumi and his family are nowhere to be found. The woman with the beautiful features despite the crinkles at the corner of her eyes immediately stands up, approaching Sana and Tzuyu with a motherly smile. Tzuyu releases Sana's hand when the woman embraces her, wrapping her own arms around the woman's waist.

"It's been a while, Zuyi," she greets them and proceeds to place a kiss on Tzuyu's temple.

Tzuyu nods, face buried to the woman's shoulder. "Yes, Mom."

"I'm so happy to see you well," Mrs. Chou takes a step back to be able to see Tzuyu more clearly, raising her hand to caress the tall Gamma's face. She smiles even wider when Tzuyu nods again. She then turns to the figure behind Tzuyu, still with her smile present when she approaches the younger female. "And you must be Sana? Minatozaki Sana? Am I right?"

Sana bows politely. "Yes, I am, ma'am."

"Oh, please. Just call me 'Mom'," the woman giggles softly at Sana's flustered face. "Oh, my, the photos Zuyi sent us gave you no justice. You're even prettier in real life."

This makes Sana blushes even more, but Tzuyu suddenly butts in with that usual flat tone of her. "Sana-unnie is not only pretty."

"Oh? I believe she is more than that," Mrs. Chou laughs, sensing the slight irritation tainting Tzuyu's tone. She simply ignores her own daughter's stare as she takes Sana's hand, ushering her to the round table. "After all, she manages to put up with you for more than a year! She must have been one kind of a wonderful girl to be able to do that."

It's an extremely rare occasion that Chou Tzuyu feels irritated enough to scowl, but Sana is too busy being flustered by Mrs. Chou that she doesn't notice. The regular Omega woman pulls Sana to the seat right beside her own. She then glances to her husband, who looks like he's been waiting for his chance to talk to Sana. The man smiles warmly when the Iota bows at him and extends a hand for her to shake.

"Sana. It's such a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, no. The pleasure's all mine, sir."

The man smiles, seemingly pleased by Sana's attitude. "Zuyi had told us a lot about you, but we would like to know more. She said she met you back at high-school?"

"Yes," Sana nods, not once shedding the small smile she wears since she first seen this family. She might be nervous before, but this couple radiates nothing but warmth for her presence. If Tzuyu truly had told them about her, she's sure that they know about her status as an Iota and she's glad that they don't judge her based on that. "If I'm not wrong, it was only a few days since the third year started. I guess... she kind of found me back then when we first met."

"I see. So what about yourself? Where do you live in Korea?"

"Oh, I live with my parents at..."

It feels so easy for Sana to fall into a comfortable conversation with the elder couple. She prides herself in being quite a talkative person, but Mr. and Mrs. Chou's acceptance of her boosts her confidence greatly. The two always give their attention to her, asking about things in a relaxed manner Sana doesn't feel like she's being interrogated. She enjoys talking with them, and it seems like they share the feeling, as they continuously praise her and smile at her with adoration apparent in their eyes.

Victoria returns some times later, bringing an assortment of food with Zhoumi tailing behind her. Sana doesn't notice since when did Henry in Tzuyu's hold, but she supposes she was too entertained with the chat with the elder Chous she doesn't notice the Gamma's absence.

Right before the lunch starts, Mrs. Chou boasts to Sana how she made the dishes on her own. Mr. Chou denies that a split-second after that, saying that she got help from their maid and that Victoria had put some final touches before they serve the food. Sana could only laugh, amused by Mrs. Chou who punches her husband playfully when Tzuyu speaks up.

"Sana-unnie bakes," she says as she takes a bowl of rice. "Delicious cookies."

Mrs. Chou immediately turns to Sana again. "Oh, really, Sana? You bake?"

"Yes, I am. I'm in culinary major and I have some baking classes as well."

"Well, we ought to bake so cakes or cookies together one day or another," Victoria chimes in. She grins at Sana when the Iota agrees to her suggestion. "I like to bake, too! These two Chou siblings here their love cookies so much! You know, maybe we could make some in the future!"

"I would love to," Sana smiles and Victoria giggles.

"I'm sure Zuyi would like that, too," Zhoumi winks at his sister who only stares at him. "All seven of us. Probably with one or two more additions, how do you think?"

Zhoumi winks again, to Sana this time, and the Iota perfectly catches his meaning and blushes deeply. Tzuyu on the other hand only nods in acknowledgement and return to her food, Zhoumi's point flying pass her head. The older Chou shakes his head in disbelief over his sister's denseness and decides to just continue eating while feeding his son.

"Auntie Cuwi! Cuwi!" Henry reaches out to Tzuyu the moment he feels full. Zhoumi tries to stop his son from disturbing his aunt, but Henry is relentless and Tzuyu is more than happy to take the boy to her lap. Henry then pulls Sana's sleeve to try to turn her attention to him. His effort pays off, but before Sana could do anything, Tzuyu shifts so that Henry moves away from the Iota.

"Don't," Tzuyu says sternly as she stands to her feet. "Sana-unnie is eating."

"Henly wanna Auntie Cana!"

"No, Henry," the girl repeats with an even firmer sentence. Tzuyu walks away from her family to take Henry to one corner of the vast backyard. "You play with me for a while. Sana-unnie is eating."

Pissed, Henry starts to scream and cry, tiny fists throwing mean punches to Tzuyu's chest. The Gamma is clearly having trouble calming Henry as she repeatedly takes punches straight to her face. When Tzuyu groans in pain, Victoria rolls her eyes fondly then approach the two.

She takes her crying son from the younger female's arms, telling Henry something that soon makes the little Alpha stops crying. Only after Henry is completely silent does Victoria return to her family.

"Henry?" she calls her son and Henry pouts. "What did Mama tell you before?"

Henry still keeps his stubborn pout for a few seconds, but then Victoria pecks his head and he deflates. "Sowwy, aunti Cana. Henly won't do that again."

"Oh, it's okay," Sana giggles. She raises her hand to pat Henry's cheek, smiling in relief when the boy looks up with joy. "Auntie Cana forgives you. Just listen to Mama and go play with Aunti Cuwi for a while, ok?"

Henry visibly brightens when Sana forgives him. He nods then, before raising his arms to Tzuyu and let the Gamma lifts him from his mother. Henry gives Sana and Victoria a wave as Tzuyu brings him back to appreciate the flowers. But Victoria chooses to go with them after Zhoumi glances at her, leaving Sana alone with the other members of the Chou family.

Sana is truly impressed by how Zhoumi and Victoria raise their son.

"Zuyi really does care about you, doesn't she, Sana?"

Sana was about to eat the food left on her plate when she hears Mr. Chou addressing her. The man has his eyes to his only daughter, filled with love but with a tint of sadness reflected in those grey orbs. He sighs a bit, then turns to Sana to give her a grateful smile.

"When we first knew about Zuyi's rank," Mrs. Chou adds. "We were so afraid that she will be avoided by the society. She's our youngest, our only daughter, so it's so scary for us to think that she will be living her life forever as an outcast. We tried to involve her in every kind of activity, but her condition gets worse as time passes, and people who know about her rank as a Gamma would shun her."

Zhoumi puts his fork down just as his mother finishes talking. "Then we were told about the institution. At first, we were skeptical to send her there because she would be completely alone in Korea. However, the government themselves contacted us as every rank-examination results were delivered to them. We finally let Zuyi go because we believe that she might be able to find something for herself there. That she will find some friends and help."

"Is it true that the institution provides therapy for Zuyi?" Mrs. Chou asks softly. "They promised us that they will do that, but... you know how sometimes institutions like those only make up things to make their credibility go up. Though, it's all lies on the inside."

"Oh, yes, they do. I've attended some sessions to accompany Tzuyu. She's really improving right now," the small explanation Sana offers gives the three other people on the table satisfaction.

Mr. Chou nods, once again settles his attention to his daughter. Tzuyu is now crouching between the bushes as Henry watches Victoria making a flower crown for him. "We could see that. The Zuyi two years ago wouldn't bat an eye at anything unless it disturbs her. But now, she scolds Henry so you can eat in peace."

"We were right to send her there," the fond tone Mrs. Chou uses attracts Sana. The older woman takes Sana's hand between hers, grasping it with gratitude shining from her eyes. "She found friends. She found you. Thank you, Sana, for willing to become Zuyi's friend and more. Thank you for not giving up for her."

"Mom," Sana remembers what Mrs. Chou told her to call her as and she tries to use it. It rolls off nicely from her tongue, and Mrs. Chou seems surprised but happy, so she continues her speech with a sense of achievement. "I should have been the one saying thank you. Tzuyu found me, saved me, and all she had done for me worth more than what I've done for her. If... if I didn't meet Tzuyu, I don't know what would be of me, now."

The girl puts her other hand on top of Mrs. Chou's, flashing them her brightest and widest smile she ever has in her life.

"I'm so glad that fate had let us found each other."

.

.

.

Zhoumi drops them back off at the hotel lobby exactly at five p.m. Victoria waves at them from the open window, with Henry on her lap, tearing up as he has to say goodbye to his two aunts. As a good brother, Zhoumi departs with a hug to his baby sister. He also puts some money to Tzuyu's open palm, sighing heavily as if he had been robbed despite Tzuyu actually saying nothing; only showing her palm to her brother.

Once Zhoumi's car disappears from their view, Sana giggles and loops her arms around Tzuyu's own.

"Your family is really nice! I would love to visit here again someday!"

Tzuyu simply nods at the Iota's exclamation. She leads the back to their own room, semi-listening semi-ignoring Sana who retells her conversation earlier with the elder Chous.

"Ah, by the way, Tzuyu?"

Tzuyu looks down.

Sana lifts her gaze to meet Tzuyu's. "Why are we staying in the hotel, actually? Your parents asked me that earlier but I can't answer."

"Your heat," Tzuyu misses no beat when she gives Sana an answer. "Will come tomorrow. Better alone."

It stuns Sana at the realization that Tzuyu had forgone the chance to spend the days with her parents only to take care of her in her heat. She blushes, deep, silently offering gratitude for this innocent Gamma's never-ending kindness as she leans up to peck Tzuyu's cheek.

"Thank you, you're so understanding."

"Yes."

"Yah! You don't have to answer so smugly at that!"

Sana pouts when Tzuyu ignores her completely. But the pout slowly changes into that of a mischievous grin, and she pulls Tzuyu to a halt before they reach their room.

"Say... Tzuyu?"

Tzuyu blinks. "Yes?"

"So... tomorrow's my heat. And about your brother's suggestion before..." Sana grins, feeling more and more amused by the way Tzuyu stares at her with an unreadable expression. "How about _we_ make a family of our own? So we can add one or two more addition into the Chou family, hm? What do you say?"

Silence.

Then, a sigh.

Tzuyu retracts her arm away from Sana's hold and walks away on her own, leaving the Iota laughing hard in the middle of the hallway.

"Ahahahah I'm just kidding! I'm just kidding! Tzuyu you know I never–"

A door closed with a click.

"–oh my God, Chou! Yah! Chou Tzuyu you stop right there, yah! Hey, don't lock me outside like this, Tzuyu! Yah! Oh, you can't do this to me! Tzuyu! Tzuyuuuu!!! Chou Tzuyuuuu you little– open the damn door! Tzuyu!"

"Nah."

"TZUUUUUYYYYUUUUUUUU!!!"

_Sidestory_

_Fin_


	2. Written In The Stars #1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungwan, Jihyo, and the stars that had written their name together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> I need a year to write this long-ass flashback
> 
> Unforgiveable
> 
> Enjoy! :D

There's a new kid on class 5B.

It's a girl, and she's a Pure-bred Alpha.

Or at least, that was what Jihyo had heard from her 5A classmates. It's been quite a topic this past week, what with everyone talking about the transferee from Canada. All Alphas here (aside from Jihyo herself) are boys, so of course the new girl would catch attention being the only female Pure-bred Alpha.

Jihyo had been tempted to approach this new girl and try to become friends, thinking that the new girl might be lonely being the only girl who is a Pure-bred Alpha. As a fellow female Alpha, she feels obliged to make the new girl feel comfortable. Then again, most students here usually push her away, so she decides not to.

She's a Low Alpha. She understands that most see her as weird because her rank is not something they'll find regularly. She had learned to keep to herself and so she promises herself not to approach this new Pure-bred. She'll find friends easily, right? She's a Pure-bred Alpha, after all, and all Pure-breds here are highly valued by both the teachers and her friends. Because they are smart, strong, and rich, right?

Well, she was wrong.

Jihyo had heard sometimes about how the girl had been teased because of her small stature. From what her classmates had said around her, she knows that the new girl is short, shorter than her, even with her top rank as a Pure-bred Alpha. They said the Alpha boys had been brave enough to pick on her due to her quiet nature, confident that she wouldn't report them to the teachers; just like how Jihyo is.

This particular Alpha girl, though, is different.

It's only two weeks after her arrival when a big fight occurs on the school grounds. Jihyo was busy reading a book in the library when a shoe flies through the window and lands not far from her. Thanking God that she's far enough not to get injured by the broken glass pieces, she sets her book down and peeks through the broken window.

It's almost natural to her to watch from the side when her fellow Alphas fight each other. That kind of behavior might look so very barbarian, but the teachers had somewhat tolerated them; because that's exactly how young Alphas act. As long as they apologize to each other and realize their mistakes after that, it's okay for them to have some mini fights here and there.

This fight, however, is different. Normal fights around her school usually consist of two or three Alphas trying to gain dominance over each other. But this fight has probably about 15 or so Alphas in the fray, all boys, and they seem to be concentrated on one point. Jihyo feels fear creeping up her spine. She's also an Alpha, but she's never one to be violent and her schoolmates' behavior right now scares her greatly.

She just hopes that whoever it is in the middle of the fight would be able to survive.

Her prayer is heard, apparently, because a second after that, the crowd kinda disperses and her eyes catch sight of a tiny figure moving like lightning throwing mean punches and kicks all around. The figure wears a skirt so she could tell that the other Alphas' target is a girl. Jihyo squints her eyes, trying to recognize the girl from her feature alone. But she looks unfamiliar, so Jihyo could only watch as the girl slowly but surely wrecks all the boys fighting her.

The teachers come not long after, quickly and easily stopping the fight. One of the teachers pulls the strong girl aside while the others subdue the Alpha boys. They start yelling after that, trying to prove their innocence to the teachers, but the girl stays silent. Jihyo finds herself strangely drawn to the girl, with black hair tied in a ponytail and her face facing downwards. She couldn't hear what the boys are yelling to the teachers with their fingers pointing to the girl, but Jihyo is sure that they are all blaming her for the fight.

Then, the girl growls, ripping her arm away from the teacher's hold and escapes from there.

Jihyo's mind is blank when she sprints from the library, forgetting her books, her bag, for the sole goal of finding the running girl.

Maybe it's luck or whatever, Jihyo doesn't really understand, but she finds the girl not longer than five minutes of running later. The girl is squatting on one corner of the school's backyard right in front of a tap, furiously rubbing the dirt and blood tainting her fair skin. She has scratches and bruises all over her body and Jihyo feels bad for her.

"Hi."

The girl jumps. Her bangs are messy, obscuring her eyes and create shadow upon her surprised expression. The girl takes a step back when Jihyo waves at her, sniffing the air then frowns.

"Don't come near me, Omega," the girl warns. Her eyes wildly dart everywhere, wary with a tint of fear. She then stares again at Jihyo with a slightly softer gaze once she realizes that they're alone. "The Alphas might hurt you, too."

Jihyo feels her heart melts when the girl 'dismisses' her. There's a very apparent care inside the girl's voice, seemingly afraid if she might get Jihyo into the mess if she stays with the girl. It makes her feels protected for the first time in this school and she can't deny the warmth filling her chest at the other girl's soft tone.

"It's okay." Jihyo smiles. "I'm not an Omega. I'm an Alpha, too."

The girl tilts her head. "But you don't smell like one..?"

"Yep! It's because I'm a Low Alpha."

Silence. Jihyo suddenly regrets her decision to immediately come clean to the girl about her rank. She hangs her head low, afraid of rejection, afraid if the other girl will turn her back on her once she knows about her unusual rank. But then she hears a small, "Okay," and she snaps her gaze upwards again.

The girl is already back to her previous activity of cleaning her wounds, not once giving a side-glance to Jihyo or any remarks about her rank.

That's a first.

"Umm," hesitatingly, Jihyo speaks up, making the other girl look up at her. "D-don't you find it weird?"

"About?"

"That I'm a Low Alpha?"

Silence again. The girl is blinking in confusion and Jihyo casts her gaze down again. She chooses to focus on the other girl's scent, a strong yet calming pine-forest surrounding her own faint caramel. She finds the scent strangely comforting, and it eases her greatly as she waits for the other's next sentence.

"Eh." The other girl scratches the back of her head when Jihyo flinches. "You don't have tentacles for arms so you're okay, I guess?"

This time, Jihyo is the one looking up in surprise. The other girl is still staring at her quizzically, seemingly questioning how does she think of herself as weird because of her rank. It seems like her stretched silence makes the other girl uncomfortable, so the shorter of the two rubs the last specks of blood still on her skin as she continues her speech.

"If you're weird, then I'm weird, too. Not many Pure-bred Alpha are born as girls," she explains, her voice firm and gaze unwavering. "What, the others told you that you're weird just because of your rank?"

Jihyo nods.

The Pure-bred girl sighs. "Well, don't listen to them. If they don't give anything good for your life, might as well ignore them. If they act up, just punch them."

Somehow, Jihyo finds the words amusing, so she giggles. The Pure-bred girl once again tilts her head in question when Jihyo starts to laugh.

"Something funny?"

"Mhm," Jihyo grins. "You're funny."

Another frown. "I'm not. I'm just saying the truth."

"But you are," feeling a smile creeps up her lips, Jihyo walks closer to the other girl who now seems not to be wary of her any more. She extends her hand, offering the Pure-bred girl a handshake with a bright smile on her face. "I'm Jihyo. Park Jihyo."

"Seungwan."

It makes Jihyo's heart leap in happiness when the Pure-bred accepts her hand.

"Son Seungwan."

"Nice to meet you, Seungwan!" Jihyo giggles again. This time, Seungwan gives her a small smile, seemingly amused by her jolly attitude.

"Nice to meet you, too, Jihyo."

Okay, Jihyo decides that she likes this girl already.

"Can we be friends?"

Jihyo asks excitedly, but Seungwan frowns and shakes her head. "No. The boys might come for you, too."

"It's okay! I'm used to it!"

It only makes the concern in Seungwan's feature even more prominent. "No. I can't let them hurt you too. You should stay away from me."

"But–"

"I'm sorry. But it's better if you don't come close to me."

Jihyo hadn't been able to finish her sentence when Seungwan bows, offering an apology then dashes away from there.

"Eh, Wan-ah! Waitt!"

Seungwan seems to be such a fast runner because Jihyo can't find her anywhere, even when she had moved her legs as fast as she could. Chest heaving with lack of air, Jihyo returns to her class with disappointment painted clear across her face. Her classmates are all talking about the previous fight, mostly believing that Seungwan is the one responsible to trigger the boys' anger.

With a sigh, Jihyo folds her arms on the table and hides her face.

.

.

.

For almost a month, Jihyo never meets Seungwan again. She hears from her friends that the female Pure-bred, along with another fifteen or more boys from any rank, had been suspended for two weeks following the incident. However, Seungwan was given an exemption because the teachers said she was the one who fought only to defend herself.

But even if they never meet each other, Jihyo can't easily erase the memory of Seungwan from her mind. The warmth and kindness Seungwan offered her had etched deep inside her soul. Jihyo rarely meets someone like Seungwan, who couldn't be more careless about her rank, simply regarding her as a fellow human.

Maybe it's because she also feels lonely, or different, or whatever, but Jihyo is hella determined to make Seungwan her friend.

"What are you doing, freak?"

Jihyo squeaks in surprise when a hand snatches her sketchbook from her hold. She has repeatedly told herself not to daydream whenever she's in school, but it seems like Seungwan had taken hold of her mind that she forgets that one principal rule she had set for herself. Daydreaming makes her unaware of her surroundings, makes her vulnerable of the bullies occasionally picking on her.

And now her beloved sketchbook is already in one of those bullies' hand. Jihyo knows his name, Sungjae or something along the line, one of the stronger Pure-bred Alpha boy in their school. He is not alone. Behind him are three other Alpha boys (the entourage, as Jihyo had dubbed them) who all stare at her as if she's nothing else than a piece of shit.

Well, a piece of shit is exactly what she is in the eyes of those boys.

"Wow, you draw well, freak," Sungjae whistles, somehow surprising because there's no way this boy would praise her like that. But Jihyo knows better than to be flattered, so she puts her best scowling face to the smug-looking boy.

"Give it back," she says in a warning tone.

Sungjae laughs and Jihyo feels fear creeping up her spine. The boy then snarls at her with his foul scent rising, making the lower ranked girl cower under his dominance. "This is mine now. You should be happy that I deem your trash good enough for me to collect."

Jihyo freezes. She knows what Sungjae is going to do. Of course, he would never keep her sketchbook safe. He would probably make fun of her drawings, dump it on a random dumpster or worse, rip it apart. Despite the fear, rage slowly boils inside Jihyo, and she forces her will to steel itself as she snarls to the boy.

"I said, give it back!" quickly, Jihyo raises her hand to snatch her sketchbook. But Sungjae is faster and he lifts the book away from her reach, his other hand grabbing her collar almost violently.

"I said, no! This is mine now!"

"It's mine!"

Still fighting, Jihyo thrashes in the boy's hold only to receive a hard slap straight across her face. The slap is strong enough to send her toppling backward. She falls on her butt, cheek burning and pride scarred terribly. The Low Alpha sobs as she holds her wounded cheek, watching the boy who had slapped her with her own book, laughing evilly.

"That's what you get for trying to fight me, freak," Sungjae chances a kick to Jihyo's shin, smirking when the girl yowls in pain. The boy then smacks the thick sketchbook to Jihyo's head once before he saunters away.

Being left alone, Jihyo swallows her sobs and wipes the tears brimming in her eyes quickly. She could feel the eyes of her classmates staring at her, some pitying her, though mostly stare at her with disgust.

This isn't new. For Jihyo, this is nothing more than just a slightly worse day. This is what she gets since she was young. What she gets for being an anomaly within a world that is divided into definite ranks. Her difference stands up too much—like a sore thumb—and nobody likes a sore thumb; nobody likes _her_.

So she decides to suck it up, once again, standing up on her own and pats her sore butt and forgets everything. Her sketchbook is as good as destroyed, after all. And as much as she loves the pictures she had drawn there, she won't risk to be beaten up only for a sketchbook. She had learned to let go. Letting go for a piece of book shouldn't be too hard, right?

So imagine her surprise when she obtains her book back when she returns home.

Jihyo was walking alone as usual, strolling along the road she always takes whenever she goes home. She keeps her gaze down as she kicks some pebbles, trying her best to brush away her sadness of losing her sketchbook. Still, her eyes glaze at the memory of her beloved book, and she sniffs once before she rubs the beginning of tears before she cries.

"Hey."

A soft, familiar voice suddenly resounds, making Jihyo stiffen as she's afraid if she is to be teased again by another boy. But the waft of scent smells painfully like a pine-forest, kind and calming, and Jihyo looks up in a desperate hope.

She almost cries in relief when she finds Seungwan standing a few meters away from her. Jihyo has been losing hope of whether Seungwan will ever want to talk with her again, and yet here she is, greeting her first without Jihyo even noticing her beforehand. Squealing in pure happiness, Jihyo almost jumps to hug Seungwan but stops the moment she realizes the condition Seungwan is in.

The Pure-bred Alpha is _wet_. Well, more like drenched, water trickling down her body and her ruined uniform. Her hair is loose, sticking to her skin, creating a perfect frame for her somewhat stern face and searing gaze. The girl is breathing heavily, showing that she must have gone through some kind of tiring activity. Seungwan wipes the water on her mouth with her one hand and offers Jihyo an item with the other.

"Is this yours?" she says with a cough.

Jihyo looks down..and gasps.

In Seungwan's hand is her sketchbook. Wet and ripped at one corner, but definitely hers.

"MY BOOK!"

Seungwan seems surprised when Jihyo shouts right at her, even more so when the Low Alpha immediately crushes her into a hug. The girl awkwardly hugs Jihyo back as the other girl yells to her shoulder.

"It's mine! My book! Thank you! Thank youu!"

Once Jihyo lets Seungwan go, the Pure-bred Alpha hands her the book and Jihyo hugs it close to her chest. She grins widely at Seungwan who—while able to retrieve her book—stares at it with pity and a bit of anger flashing in her eyes. Seungwan then scoffs, wiping back her wet hair as she gazes upon Jihyo.

"Sorry I couldn't do more," she says, looking guilty.

But Jihyo shakes her head, giggling and somehow making Seungwan tilt her head in confusion.

"You give me my book back! It's more than enough! Thank you Seungwan-ah!"

Seungwan frowns. "But it's damaged..."

"It's alright! As long as it is found!"

The Pure-bred Alpha frowns deeper, but then she shakes her head and offers her hand. When Jihyo blinks questioningly, she coughs once again. "Go home with me?"

"OKAY!" Jihyo squeals happily, immediately running towards Seungwan then grabs her hand in excitement. The girl giggles when the Pure-bred smiles at her. Seungwan doesn't waste time as she turns back and starts walking, Jihyo following close behind chattering loudly about how she misses her new companion.

When they pass by the bridge, Jihyo purposefully ignores the sight of Sungjae and his friends sitting on the riverbank, wet and angry and with a few new bruises painting their skin.

.

.

.

They soon become the best of friends.

It's kinda inevitable, after all. Jihyo has no friends, Seungwan has no friends, so it's only natural for them to become one. The Pure-bred might be a bit broody and somewhat hostile when she started studying at Jihyo's school, but soon warms up and grows clingy to the Low Alpha once she decided that she likes her enough. Jihyo doesn't ask why Seungwan still doesn't bother to act nice to the other kid. Maybe that's for the better, Jihyo doesn't have to share her only friend.

Every day, Seungwan will fetch Jihyo with her bike so they can go to school together. Before Jihyo, Seungwan owns a mountain bike, but then she sold it and bought one with a rack so Jihyo can sit behind her. Jihyo's parents know about Seungwan and like her so much, often giving the Pure-bred Alpha homemade lunch to eat together with Jihyo. Seungwan absolutely loves the attention, so Jihyo makes sure to remind her mom to make Seungwan her own lunch, or splits hers if her mom is too busy to make two. Even Jihyo's older sister, Sunmi, who had never met Seungwan before, adores her greatly after hearing the stories Jihyo told about Seungwan.

Seungwan lives only with her grandmother, and while she looks rich enough to be able to buy Jihyo's whole family, she's also busy enough to not be able to give Seungwan the attention she needs. Jihyo met Seungwan's grandmother once, when she visited Seungwan's house to deliver her homework. The woman in her early sixties is a Pure-bred Omega with a very peculiar fruity scent. Either Seungwan had told her about Jihyo already or she thought of Jihyo as a regular Omega, because she lets her in without any fuss. She even thanked Jihyo for being Seungwan's friend, so Jihyo isn't really worried about her view to her.

Aside from loving lunch and cuddles, Seungwan also loves to play basketball. Every time they hang out together in the afternoon—which is like, everyday—the Pure-bred will always bring a blue basketball almost the size of her own head. She would roll it between her feet or dribble it slightly as she listens to Jihyo talking about basically everything. Sometimes she would take Jihyo to an abandoned basketball court near her house, playing around while Jihyo either studies or draws on her book.

"Wannie!" Jihyo calls one afternoon, as Seungwan runs towards the basketball ring trying to polish her lay-up technique. She's working on a math assignment due in two days but Seungwan insisted that today is a good day to play outside. "What's the possibility of taking two green balls at a time after you put six green balls, seven yellow balls, and five red balls into a box?"

"I have that question in my homework too!" The Pure-bred answer without even looking at Jihyo. She jumps up to shoot her ball into the ring, executing it perfectly and the girl lands on her feet with a proud smile. "I'll show you later!"

"I don't wanna! Teach me!"

"Why? You can't do it on your own?" Seungwan brings her basketball closer to Jihyo, giggling when the Low Alpha pouts at her. "Pabo."

"Yah!" Jihyo throws her pencil at Seungwan, who avoids it with ease and sticks her tongue out. She then wails at the Pure-bred when Seungwan picks up her pencil but doesn't return it. "Come on, Wannie! I'm bad at math! I won't get any better if you don't want to teach me anything!"

Seungwan raises her eyebrows. "And you think I'm good enough to teach because...?"

"I know you get straight As in math." The Low Alpha pouts. "Please, Wannie? Just math, I promise!"

The Pure-bred rubs her chin, as if she's thinking on it. But of course, who can say no to Jihyo's adorable pout and puppy eyes?

"Fineee I'll teach you. Let me see your book."

They end up sitting on the bleachers next to each other as Seungwan teaches Jihyo everything she knows. She guides her friend through each step, correcting her and praising her every time Jihyo does something right. The happy noises Jihyo make throughout their small 'lesson' carve a smile to Seungwan's lips.

Time passes so quickly that it's nearly sunset when Jihyo finishes her assignment. Seungwan might complain that she hasn't gotten enough time to practice, but still she tidies up her stuff and let Jihyo rides the bike with her. Jihyo's arms hugging her waist makes Seungwan roll her eyes, though she doesn't protest when the Low Alpha rests her head on her back.

"Thank you for today, as well," Jihyo suddenly says when they pass by the riverbank. The calm water reflecting the setting sun creating an orange hue surrounding them. It's strangely silent that afternoon, with no one else walking along the path they take. Usually there will be office workers going home with them. The unusual silence and the slight breeze prompt Jihyo to tighten her hug around Seungwan's waist. "Thanks for teaching me, Wannie."

Seungwan snorts. "It's nothing. Just ask me anything and I'll do it right away."

"Oh, really?" Giggling, Jihyo buries her face to Seungwan's ponytail. Her shampoo smells of apple. Fresh, perfectly complementing her cool pine-forest scent. Jihyo wishes she has a scent as nice as Seungwan. Then again, Seungwan always says that she has the sweetest scent Seungwan ever smelled, so Jihyo supposes she already has quite a good scent.

"It's true, I will." Seungwan smiles wider the deeper Jihyo snuggles into her. "I really like to be your friend. I'll do anything for you."

"I love being Seungwan's friend, too!" Jihyo loudly laughs. "I want to be friends with you forever!"

"Promise?"

"I promise!"

None of them speak of that again on their way home. But by Seungwan's soft squeeze she chances to Jihyo's fists over her stomach, they both know that it's not an empty promise they had just spoken.

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.

.

"You probably shouldn't get too close to her."

Jihyo shifts her attention away from the flower pot she's attending at the unfamiliar voice near her. She thought it was Seungwan, because who else talks to her in school aside from that girl? But Jihyo sees Kim Minji, one of the prettiest Pure-bred Omegas in her school. That's weird; Minji has never talked to her before. While the girl seems like she doesn't care of Jihyo's existence at all, there are too many spiteful Omegas around her, so Jihyo steers clear from Minji's business.

To think that Minji approaches her at her comfort zone when she is moving some flowers into pots. Her teachers gave this place for Jihyo only because most kids don't like to tend the flowers. The school's garden gives her safety as no one bothers to come to her when she's in the garden. Honestly, Jihyo's kinda afraid about what this girl wants.

"I'm sorry. Who?"

Minji crouches beside Jihyo, surprising the Low Alpha. The pretty Omega stares at her for a few moments before she turns her attention to Jihyo's pot of roses. "Seungwan. You probably shouldn't get too close to her."

"Why not?! She's my friend!" Jihyo snaps immediately. She then gasps when she realizes that she'd grown defensive in a matter of seconds and flushes in shame.

"It's nothing personal." Minji picks up a handful of dirt. She ignores Jihyo's puzzled expression when she helps to put the dirt into Jihyo's pot. "Seungwan's cute. And she's far... calmer than the boys. Less rough. I've heard some girls said that they like Seungwan."

Jihyo says nothing, still trying to comprehend Minji's words.

The Pure-bred Omega pats the finished flower pot. "Point is, they don't like you being close to her. I don't care enough, honestly, but I don't want seeing anyone being hurt because of that."

With that, Minji rises up from her position beside Jihyo, sparing the Low Alpha a glance then walks away. Jihyo is startled from her sudden movement and hurriedly wipes her dirty hands on her apron. She jumps to her feet as she yells Minji's name.

"Um, thank you for telling me, Minji-sshi!"

Jihyo bows deeply to the Pure-bred Omega. She couldn't see the small smile Minji gives her, because the moment she straightens her back, the other girl is already at a distance. Once Minji disappears, Jihyo sighs, returning to her stance of crouching in front of her work. She looks to the flowers and the mound of dirt near her, again sighing heavily.

She promised Seungwan that she'll give her a pot of roses as an exchange for tutoring her for exam. But now that Minji said that, she's a bit afraid of approaching Seungwan. She knows that mostly everyone here hates her, and they won't be afraid to hurt her if they want to, but Seungwan is her only friend. Then again, she had spent the last five years in this school friendless. So maybe living another year like that won't hurt?

"Don't listen to her," Seungwan grumbles under her breath. Jihyo had told her about Minji at their way home. The Pure-bred Alpha is, as expected, annoyed. "They're just jealous."

Well, Jihyo knows that already.

"But, you see..." Jihyo grabs the waist of Seungwan's shirt, hiding her face to the other's hair when they pass by a group of their schoolmates. "They might bully me again if I don't obey..."

"Just tell me. I'll deal with them."

Jihyo laughs softly to hide her heating face. "You're always so sweet."

"Of course I am." Smirking, Seungwan speeds up her bike and laughs at Jihyo's small shriek. "And I'll stay true to it."

.

.

.

Seungwan's reassurance is enough to make Jihyo ignore the first scribble on her notebook. Also the letter, and the second scribble, and the rough shove she received when she was going to the changing room after P.E. She purposefully blocks each sentence thrown at her, telling that she's not worthy being Seungwan's friend.

So maybe she doesn't tell Seungwan about those.

_Hasn't_. It's not yet annoying and threatening enough for her. Instead, she feels somehow proud; being able to make them jealous at her. Usually, it's her who is jealous at them because they can live normally and have lots of friends. Now it's _her_ friend who they want and she relishes in their jealousy.

Just for once. Just for this once. She tells herself that every time she's seated behind Seungwan, arms around her waist and face pressed to her back. She would press herself tighter to Seungwan if they meet their schoolmates on the way home. She knows the Omegas are staring at her with anger and she likes it. She repeats it like a mantra every time Seungwan brings her to that abandoned basketball court. Every time they spend the afternoon in the warmth of Seungwan's room, her frustrating the Pure-bred by her inability to understand the lessons Seungwan gives.

Still, she's running out of time, running out of excuses for why she changes her book often. She can't tell Seungwan that they start to draw scary things on her books or throw them away again. She wouldn't tell Seungwan why she doesn't bring the promised flowers when she visits Seungwan's house before the exam.

It pains her seeing the disappointment in Seungwan's face, but Jihyo doesn't have the courage to tell her that her roses are as good as destroyed. Along with Jihyo's little garden, that is.

"Earth to Ji? Hello?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Jihyo blinks repeatedly and flushes. Seungwan is staring at her, worried of why her friend is daydreaming in the middle of their learning session. The Pure-bred taps her pencil on top of Jihyo's workbook to help realign her focus.

"Here, you said you're having trouble with this part," she says, pointing to a question. Ignoring her friend's unfocused look, Seungwan starts to explain the subject. Jihyo, dazedly, follows the guidance.

It doesn't take long for Seungwan to realize that Jihyo is truly out of it. She clears her throat once. Jihyo still hasn't responded, so Seungwan touches her hand slightly. The small jump Jihyo makes is enough telling that she's deeply thinking of something else. Seungwan raises her eyebrows, asking.

"Sorry, I'm—" fidgets, "—I'm just thinking. Of... my sister?"

"What's with Sunmi-unnie?"

"Oh, nothing. Actually. Um," more fidgeting, "she's coming back home. I'm excited."

Jihyo is not a good liar and Seungwan is definitely not convinced. She casts a scrutinizing gaze to Jihyo, who, in response, only hangs her head low then starts to write on her book. What's the meaning of Seungwan's notes all around her? She has no damn clue.

"Is this about what Minji said?"

Jihyo is the worst liar in the world because she immediately stutters. "N-no! It's not her! I don't.. care about what she said. I mean yeah I care but they do nothing so... yeah. I'm good! Very very good!"

Seungwan doesn't even bother to counter because she knows for sure that it's what bugging Jihyo's mind right now. She reaches over the small table separating her to grasp Jihyo's hand, squeezing it a bit and pats her friend's knuckle softly.

"You'll be okay." Seungwan promises. "If they keep on pestering you, I'll fetch you from your class starting from tomorrow. You don't have to worry, okay? I'll keep you safe."

Again, Seungwan's words soothe Jihyo greatly. The Pure-bred never break a promise and so Jihyo decides to believe her, always, believing that Seungwan will be on her side no matter what.

That's why Jihyo couldn't prepare herself when the warning comes only in a form of, "You're an Alpha, aren't you?" spoken to her by Sungjae right after the teacher left. Jihyo, confusedly, answered yes, and the next moment she knows Sungjae and his gang grab her and drag her away from her class. She thrashes around, trying to escape from their hold, but they are a group of six male Alphas versus her one female Alpha, so there's literally no hope for her to overpower them.

"You're an embarrassment to the Alpha class." Sungjae spits at her while shoving her shoulders. Jihyo grits her teeth and tries not to budge by digging her heels into the soil of the garden. They took her to the flower garden she had taken care of so lovingly, though now it's nothing else but broken stems and scattered dirt. Three boys are holding her body so she can't move; one on each arm while the last one choking her neck from behind.

"You should've listened to the Omegas before we come to you directly, trash." Sungjae spits again. When Jihyo growls at him, he grabs her chin, forcing her to look straight at him. "Weakling. Stay away from Seungwan."

Jihyo spits back before snarling, "What is it with you guys! She's my friend! I'm not giving her to anyone!"

Sungjae shoves Jihyo again until she almost topples backwards if not for the other boys holding her. He smirks evilly when Jihyo whimpers at the pain in her shoulders. "You said you're an Alpha, but you're so weak! You don't even want to fight. And now Seungwan doesn't want to fight us because you said you don't like fights! Stop saying you're an Alpha when you're actually just an Omega!"

Ah, Jihyo remembers mentioning that to Seungwan. It was when she was heavily injured after fighting a few Alphas from the sixth grade for robbing her lunch. Jihyo told her that she doesn't like fights, so Seungwan should cease fighting and Jihyo will make her a new lunch instead. So that's why they keep on pestering her to leave Seungwan alone.

Though, that's not why anger is bubbling inside Jihyo so fervently.

"I am an Alpha," says her, talking through gritted teeth. She always feels wronged somehow if people won't acknowledge her rank due to her appearance, and she's never once feeling tired to show how she feels to the people who keep on dismissing her. "Stop calling me an Omega! I'm not an Omega!"

"Show us, then!" Sungjae laughs loudly before yanking Jihyo's collar. "Show us that you're an Alpha! Come on, fight us, Park!"

Angry. Yes, Jihyo is angry. The innate Alpha inside her is screaming at her to grab his face and slam him to the ground. But she's also feeling scared, terribly so. She had never fought before. She doesn't like the pain it will inflict and she's also scared of what length will Sungjae do to her.

Her prolonged silence only make Sungjae concludes that she's afraid of him. With a shit-eating grin, the boy tightens his hold on her collar and makes a fist with his other hand.

"Well, because our lovely _Alpha_ here won't fight me, let's show her that she's no better than an _Omega_ , okay?" he says with a laugh.

Jihyo can only freeze in fear as Sungjae pulls his fist back. Her brain screams at her to run, to dodge, to do anything—but her body won't listen. Fear has taken ahold of her that she can't even think straight. Jihyo closes her eyes and braces herself for impact the moment Sungjae's fist flies towards her face.

But it never comes.

Instead, she hears an angry roar and a crack of fist meeting jaw, then she feels two of the boys who were holding her leave. Opening her eyes, Jihyo gasps at the sight of Seungwan pinning Sungjae to the ground, all the while beating the boy without even an ounce of restraint. Sungjae's friends come to his aid immediately, but Seungwan is too furious for them to contain. Seungwan whips her arm once a boy grabs her from behind, clawing his face, then leave Sungjae on the ground to kick another boy. The other two try to hit her as well only for her to dodge and throw one of the boys to crash them to each other.

"Get the hell away from her!" Seungwan yells to the boy still holding Jihyo. He must have feared her because he lets go of Jihyo, running to his friends as Seungwan hurriedly approaches the scared girl. The Low Alpha hugs her friend once Seungwan gets close enough and Seungwan reciprocate the hug. Even embracing Jihyo tighter as she asks, "Are you okay?"

There's an unmistakable tremor in Seungwan's voice when she examines Jihyo. Seeing that there's no visible wound on Jihyo's body, Seungwan exhales, relieved knowing that her friend is okay. Relieved that's she's not too late. She rubs her hand across Jihyo's back, trying to offer solace to her by whispering gently. "I'm here, Ji. You're okay. You're okay. I'll protect you. I promise I will."

Jihyo nods inside her tight embrace and Seungwan almost smiles, if not for Sungjae's voice arising from behind them.

"So here comes our little Alpha pet." He mocks, prompting Seungwan to snarl. Even with new bruises on his face, he still manages to put on a taunting grin. That's impressive, especially with how badly beaten he looks like. Guess that his pride won't let him yield easily. Wiping the blood from his nose, Sungjae lifts his chin cockily. "Is that all you got, Miyawaki?"

Seungwan growls at his words and moves Jihyo behind her, shielding the Low Alpha from the six boys who assaulted her. "Get out of here before I hit you harder."

Instead of rethinking his action, Sungjae _laughs_. "Awww, menacing! For a girl who fights like an animal you sure are brave, Miyawaki! Did Daddy never taught you how to fight properly?"

Miyawaki? Jihyo just realizes. This is the first time she hears that name, but Seungwan seems familiar with it. Familiar enough that she starts to bristle. With enraged snarls lacing her every word, Seungwan answers Sungjae. "This has nothing to do with it."

"Really?" Sungjae grins. Evil. "Oh, sorry. I forgot! Daddy didn't even want you here, right, _runt_?!"

It's takes not even a second after that for Seungwan to sprint across the garden and slams her entire body to Sungjae. While the boy already expects her advance, he still staggers backward, giving Seungwan the chance to punch him in the gut. The five others boy jump into the fight. Yet even if she's alone, Seungwan holds her ground stubbornly, and she is able to counter their attacks fairly easily.

Watching the fight unfolds before her eyes is horrifying, Jihyo thinks. She can only pace around with her lips bitten between her teeth, trying to make Seungwan's figure within the fray. She wants to help, badly, but she's aware of her own strength and she knows that she'll only hinder Seungwan if she joins the brawl. So she waits, hoping that Seungwan will somehow emerge victorious.

And Seungwan probably will. Jihyo believes it so.

If only one of the boys don't take a clay flower pot that is laying on the ground near him.

Jihyo realizes it late. Her shout of warning stops at the tip of her tongue as the boy smashes the heavy pot onto Seungwan's head. Seungwan's cry rings in Jihyo's ears along with her own terrified scream. The impact is too hard for Seungwan to endure and the girl falls sideways, writhing in pain while holding her injured head.

At that time, Jihyo isn't exactly aware of what she was doing. All she knows is that she runs towards the fallen Seungwan, shouting her name, trying to get close, to help, or maybe take Seungwan away into safety—anything.

But the moment she sees blood, Jihyo blacks out.

.

.

.

"Yes, Jihyo might look and act like an Omega, sir, that we are aware. She has the scent of one, her overall personality will definitely be less intense than those of actual Alphas. Maybe she can even be more submissive than some Omegas. If she wants it, she can perfectly blend with Omegas, just that she won't experience heat. But still, there's a reason why she's a Low _Alpha_ and not an X-Omega or something along the line. She has this instinctual rage that strongly resembles her Alpha peers."

"..."

"It's true that she's less prone to rage rutting, but all Low Alpha experiences that at least once in their life. Though they mostly do so after they're an adult, either to defend themselves at a life-threatening situation or to defend their mate. For Jihyo to rage rut at this young age and at this...well, what _seems_ to be a simpler situation than my other Low Alpha clients had, I believe that she must have had an underlying hatred to her peers. We all know that she had repeatedly experienced bad attitudes from her peers at the past, so maybe that's what pushed her into a rage rut. That, or she regards Seungwan as a very important figure for her."

"I see."

"I believe I've informed you before about this possibility a few years ago. It's shocking, I understand, especially for a family of Omegas like yours. But, from now on, I suggest you two to listen to her likes and dislikes more closely to prevent her from repeating this action."

"So what should we do, Doc? I don't think she can return there after she attacked that many people. Do you have any suggestion on where should we send her, or maybe should we homeschool her?"

"Well, before this I've talked with Mrs. Son for a while. She told me that Seungwan also had gotten into some awful cases with her peers before. You should probably talk to her. She might have something to discuss with the two of you."

.

.

.

It feels like hours until Jihyo is finally allowed to see Seungwan after the Doctor finished tending her. Her parents might forbid her from immediately seeing Seungwan, but them and Seungwan's grandmother aren't here at the moment, so she decides to sneak her way through. Jihyo feels her heart breaks at the sight of her best friend rubbing the white bandages covering half of her head. She remembers the time when she dropped a small flower pot straight to her foot. That hurt a lot, and she cried all the way from school to her home. Seungwan got a bigger pot bashed to her head so Jihyo believes that must have hurt a lot more.

"Oh, Ji?"

Startled, Jihyo realizes that she's been standing motionless inside Seungwan's room for quite some time. Trying to stop her tears from falling, she approaches Seungwan hastily, jumping onto the bed and pulls the Pure-bred Alpha into her hug.

"W-Wanniiieee!!!"

Oh, who cares if Seungwan sees her crying. She wails into her friend's clean garb, uncaring if Seungwan just barely changed into it and most likely will have to change again soon. Jihyo's sobs grow louder when Seungwan hugs her in return, the Pure-bred rubbing Jihyo's hair with her also-bandaged right hand. Seungwan's left hand lifts Jihyo's back side slightly to make her more comfortable before hugging her waist.

"There, there. I'm okay, Ji. Why are you crying?"

"B-because," Jihyo pauses to sob, "you got hurt because of me. I'm so sorry, Wannie!"

Unexpectedly, Seungwan starts laughing, making Jihyo pulls away from their hug to look at Seungwan in puzzlement. Seungwan might have her head covered with bandages but she chuckles at Jihyo, seemingly forgetting to even have a fresh wound on her head. She taps Jihyo's cheek once with a wide grin before saying, "You're not the one causing this to me. Stop apologizing."

"But, I—it's because you helped me, that's why..." Jihyo sniffles, before Seungwan shakes her head firmly.

"I did promise that I'll protect you, though."

"B-but.."

"Ji." Seungwan cuts, short and firm, enough to shut Jihyo's mouth up. She stares her friend down for a while before she smiles wide and strokes Jihyo's hair. "It's not your fault that we got here. Don't ever apologize for the things you didn't do."

There's another apology Jihyo wants to say, but she swallows it back after hearing Seungwan's explanation. "Okay."

The Pure-bred grins, happy to be obeyed. "Then again, you saved me too. Thank you."

Jihyo tilts her head. "I honestly still don't understand what happened. I thought I fainted."

"You got angry. It's okay, we all do that sometimes."

While Jihyo notices that Seungwan isn't being completely honest to her, Jihyo supposes she can let this one slide. She believes in Seungwan. The Pure-bred won't keep a secret for long unless it's really is as trivial as what she implied. So Jihyo decides to withdraw from their embrace to sit in front of Seungwan, her mind focusing on a topic she's been dying to know since she heard it.

"May I ask something, Wannie?"

"Go ahead."

"Who is 'Miyawaki'?" asks Jihyo, and at that moment she catches the subtle movement of Seungwan's jaw tensing. "Uhmm...didn't Sungjae called you with that name, before?"

Seungwan gazes deep into Jihyo's eyes for a few quiet seconds. Until, she scoffs. "That's my father's name."

"Oh?" Jihyo blinks, still confused. "Your sire? But I thought Son is—"

"No. Miyawaki-sama is my _father_."

Jihyo is, undeniably, 100% lost.

"I don't understand," she admits meekly.

Seems like Seungwan pities Jihyo's apparent confusion because she then chuckles. "Hey, don't think too much about it. It's a story for another day, okay?"

Jihyo just barely opens her mouth when she hears her father's call. Cringing as she knows that she had disobeyed her parents' disallowance to meet Seungwan, she slowly turns her head, shrinking in fear as her father looks at her in disapproval. The two of them also Seungwan's grandmother had returned from whatever their conversation before was. She can already imagine all the berating her father is going to give her, if not for Seungwan grabbing her wrist.

"Jihyo accompanied me after Mr. Doctor left." The Pure-bred smiles politely. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble, uncle, auntie. I promise I won't repeat this again."

"That's good to hear, dear." Seungwan's grandmother, who was silent before, suddenly speaks up. She looks at Seungwan with a sharp, scrutinizing glare, the blame for her granddaughter clear in her dark grey eyes. "I hope you can reflect fully this time, Seungwan. Not only you endangered yourself but also Jihyo. I understand that young Alphas are naturally this emotional, but I hope you as my granddaughter can act better than most."

"Yes, grandma. Seungwan apologize." Seungwan lowers her head. Seemingly ashamed, though her answer is more controlled than ever. As if she had done it multiple times before. Jihyo wonders whether Seungwan always got scolded whenever she got involved into a fight.

"Well, now that it's settled." The eldest Omega in the room sighs. "About our talk before, Mr. and Mrs. Park. I guess I can ask for your help to tell the kids?"

.

.

.

Jihyo knows, in a way, that the fight that day will definitely lead into something big. And that change comes into the form of transferring school, to an institution Seungwan's grandma said as, "The school that protects 'special kids like Jihyo', better."

Seungwan's grandma told her that she's not the only Low Alpha in the world. But 'people like her' are very rare, and so others like to pick on them because of their difference. She said, even in South Korea and Asia, only a few are similar to Jihyo. That's why there's a special school that promises to protect 'people like her' better from the judging environment. If being compared to her previous school, Seungwan's grandma said that the teachers are more friendly, helping, and that the students are taught very extensively about respect. She didn't promise Jihyo 100% that there won't be kids like Sungjae at her new school, but at least she said that her peers there won't be brave enough to go physical.

"And if anything happens," she said as well, "you still have Seungwan with you. Take care of her, okay? She was very lonely until she met you. I know I had scolded her not to fight again, but let me tell you a secret. If and _only_ if she fights for you, I won't scold her."

Seungwan's grandma giggled and winked at her after that. Jihyo could only nod, not quite getting it, but she's happy alas that she can still be with Seungwan.

The first day at the new school is nerve-wracking. Jihyo, who fears another rejection, is basically plastered to Seungwan's back, while Seungwan reverts back to her hostile-self the moment she senses that the new school makes Jihyo nervous. Seungwan's grandma, who accompanies them at the first day due to Jihyo's parents working, comments how Seungwan is very, "Possessively protective," though Seungwan doesn't respond to her.

The headmaster of their new school is a kind-looking elderly man. His scent is very strange, like a mix of citrus, flowers, and a lot of other scents the two kids can't comprehend. Yet his scent is what finally calms both Jihyo and Seungwan down. The old man—his name is Mr. Lee Sooman—laughs at the two, though there's no mockery nor malice in his voice; only adoration.

"I could see they both have tricky pasts," he says with a fatherly smile. "Ah, this is why I'd rather choose to manage the elementary school. The new kids coming here are all interesting. Thank you for trusting us with Seungwan and Jihyo, Mrs. Son."

Seungwan's grandma crosses her arms. "I hope you can take care of them here, Mr. Lee."

"We'll do our best to give them proper education and protection here, ma'am."

Mr. Sooman takes the two to their class as Seungwan's grandma has to sign a few documents first. Jihyo likes Mr. Sooman soon enough, as he keeps on talking to the girls and Jihyo, being the more talkative one between her and Seungwan, always responds to him. His answers greatly boosts Jihyo's confidence, assuring her again and again that she'll have better friends in this school unlike the previous one. Seungwan rarely replies, but Jihyo knows that she feels at ease too with the elder. Because she lets Jihyo walk on her own and not gripping her hand to keep Jihyo close.

It doesn't take long for them to arrive at class 5C. This school has more classes at each grade but fewer kids in each class, just as how Mr. Sooman said. He reasons that with the arrangement they can be closer and the teachers can take care of them better.

There's only about 15 kids in the room they enter. The teacher is a woman, an Omega it seems, with a bright smile and cute eye-smile when she sees the two kids following Mr. Sooman. She waves at Seungwan and Jihyo for a while before turning to her class.

"Good morning, class. So today, as I've told you before, we're going to have new friends joining us here!"

A tall girl who sits at the very back suddenly jumps from her seat with her arm raised high. "Hello, friends! I'm Sooyoung or you can call me Joy!"

"Not yet, Joy."

Joy gawks, then scrambles to sit down. "Oh, okay. I'm sorry, Miss Sunny."

Ms. Sunny giggles and shakes her head, shifting her attention to the newcomers. "Well, can you introduce yourself to us?"

Having all eyes directed at her make Jihyo feels a tad bit more nervous again. Shyly, she steps behind Seungwan, trying to hide her face behind her bangs. Seungwan squeezes Jihyo's hand once to comfort her as she speaks on their behalf.

"My name is Son Seungwan. I'm here with my friend, Park Jihyo. Nice to meet you all. I hope we can get along."

Seungwan bows politely, prompting Jihyo to do the same to their new classmates. Mr. Sooman then leave them to join Ms. Sunny's class, who gives them adjacent seats as per Mr. Sooman's request. Nothing happens for the first few hours because everyone is completely absorbed into the subject. Despite only meeting Ms. Sunny for about an hour and a half, Jihyo prefers her method of teaching already, as she openly discusses her subjects and allows her students to ask any kind of questions to her. Her gentle smile and soft voice also help in making her class more pleasant.

When the bell rings and the break session starts, about 10 or so students in the class go straight to Seungwan and Jihyo. It's kind of overwhelming for Jihyo, as the most she ever gotten attention was when her peers ganged up on her. Thankfully, Seungwan acts as civil as far as Seungwan could be, answering questions directed both to her and Jihyo not to give her friend more stress than she already receives. Their new classmates also seem to understand that Jihyo is still too shy to talk, making them rather crowd the more confident Pure-bred Alpha.

"Hi."

Except one.

Jihyo freezes just as she catches sight of a girl crouching beside her seat, resting her chin on the table. It's the tall girl from before. Her eyes sparkle as she stares at Jihyo, her smile getting wider and even turning into a grin the longer she observes the Low Alpha. Was it Sooyoung, or Joy? Nevermind that. What Jihyo can recognize from this girl is her minty scent—like the smell of mint-choco ice cream that Seungwan loathes. By the intensity of her scent, Jihyo concludes that this Joy is a Pure-bred Alpha, just like Seungwan. Probably the only other female Pure-bred in Ms. Sunny's class.

Jihyo doesn't know why, but Joy's status as a Pure-bred suddenly makes her uneasy. Her first thought of the girl is how she might become an equally strong threat to Seungwan. Even if Joy looks no more dangerous than a mere chick. Shifting closer to Seungwan, who immediately notices her discomfort, Jihyo lets Seungwan grabs her arm and be enveloped by Seungwan's protective forestry scent.

Joy doesn't seem to recognize the hostility because she beams at Jihyo. "You're so pretty. The prettiest girl I've ever seen."

Her innocent words somehow get Seungwan agitated. "Say what now?"

"Oh?" Joy blinks, looking back and forth between the two. She then stops at Seungwan with a slightly sadder gaze. "Is she yours?"

Seungwan frowns. "What?"

"You two must be engaged." Claims Joy, growing more and more sullen by each second pass. "Like Seulgi to Joohyun. Sowon, too. Do you know them? They're my friends from class 5A! Do you want to meet them? You guys are cute, I bet they'll like you! We also like to buy lemonade from the school's cafeteria! Do you like lemonade?"

The conversation kinda goes astray. Seungwan and Jihyo exchange confused looks.

"What's engaged?" Jihyo whispers.

Seungwan shakes her head. "I've heard grandma mentioning it for a few times. Something complicated. I don't understand either."

Joy is still patiently waiting for their response when Seungwan takes a glance to her. Sighing heavily, Seungwan decides to answer the seemingly harmless Pure-bred Alpha.

"I don't think Jihyo and I are engaged."

It's a wonder how Joy beams brighter than she did before. "That's great! Can I take Jihyo for me?"

"What? No!"

"But you said you're not engaged!"

"What even is engaged?!"

Jihyo can only watch in confusion mixed with amusement as Seungwan and Joy pointlessly argue. Their other classmates had left after Joy began shouting and Seungwan growled in annoyance. It's a few minutes after the argument started when Jihyo hears Joy throwing the word Omega, most probably referring to her. Well, that's her cue to interfere.

"I'm sorry, Joy." Jihyo gently puts herself between the two Pure-breds, smiling at the mint-scented girl. "I'm not an Omega. I'm a Low Alpha."

A gasp could be heard as Joy stares at Jihyo with her mouth agape. "You're an Alpha?"

Jihyo nods.

"But you smell sweet like an Omega!"

"That's just how I am." Jihyo admits, flushing. She doesn't know how Joy will react but at least, she knows that Seungwan will defend her if Joy says something along the line of—

"Woah! Cool!"

—what?

Eyes widen in surprise as Joy claps, her face showing pure appreciation instead of disgust. The tall Pure-bred rests her chin back on the table after clapping. She looks like she's still brimming with delight even after Jihyo told her about her unusual rank. If possible, Joy seems to be in awe with Jihyo more.

"I've never seen someone like you," Joy says happily. "That means you're cool! Jihyo is so cool! Can we be friends?"

When it seems that Seungwan is about to counter, Joy addresses her. "Seungwan should be our friend, too! I like talking to you!"

As far as Seungwan remembers, all they've been doing was arguing with each other. But Joy is definitely determined to make friends as seen by the shine in her eyes. Glancing at Jihyo to see that she's enjoying it, and most likely enjoying the tall Pure-bred's presence, Seungwan relents. She scoffs softly to Joy but then smiles to the other Pure-bred.

"Friends. I guess. I hope we can get along."

Joy grins and nods fervently. "Of course, of course! I'll also take you to Sowon and Seulgi, may I?"

Hearing Joy's enthusiastic invitation answered by Seungwan's slight apprehension puts a smile on Jihyo's lips. It's only been a day, but meeting Joy gives her hope that she'll get a lot of new friends in this new school. Gives her hope that she'll be accepted better. This Seulgi and Sowon sound nice too, because Joy keeps on talking about them merrily in a good light. Along with Seungwan, she believes they can be happier and enjoy their school days to the fullest.

"So anyway can I still take Jihyo—"

"No!"

_To be continued..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> I...I didn't mean it to be this long and it's only the first part oh no oh fuck help I can't stop me risky risky wiggy wiggy— *gets slapped*
> 
> So anyway I keep on writing useless unimportant shits in my limited time instead of my main stories :(
> 
> I'm so sorry :(( *bows repeatedly*
> 
> Let's hope we can continue this soon also the main storyline, ne? Ciao for now! ;D


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